System and method for managing medical device inventory

ABSTRACT

A system for medical device inventory management is disclosed. The system is comprised of at least one scanner to scan medical device information associated with a medical device. The at least one scanner is in operable communication with at least one computing device configured to receive the medical device information from the scanner. A processor is in operable communication with the computing device and an interpreter adapted to transpose the medical device information to a graphical user interface. An inventory module is in operable communication with the processor to inventory the medical device information, including preparing a list of a plurality of medical devices. A document generator is in operable communication with the computing device to generate a document in a shareable format.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.16/275,071, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,120,399, filed Feb. 13, 2019, thecontents of which are entirely incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The embodiments generally relate to an inventory management and controlsystem and, more specifically, to an inventory management and controlsystem for the medical device industry.

BACKGROUND

Manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers alike each undergo thedifficulty of managing inventory of their products. In the past,inventory was recorded manually leading to a significant loss ofresources and a high propensity for errors. In recent years opticalscanners have been used to identify product information and transmit theinformation to a readable medium.

While a variety of industries utilize various forms of electronicinventory management, the medical device industry has a low tolerancefor errors throughout the inventory process due to the potentialliability of harming a client due to inaccurate records.

Medical device inventory systems currently available are unable to scanand record the expiration date and lot number of a particular device ina standalone software package. This inability inconveniences variousparties within the medical device industry including nurses, physicians,and medical device sales representatives and suppliers as users arerequired to utilize multiple software platforms to perform inventorytasks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This summary is provided to introduce a variety of concepts in asimplified form that is further disclosed in the detailed description ofthe embodiments. This summary is not intended to identify key oressential inventive concepts of the claimed subject matter, nor is itintended for determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

The embodiments described herein provide a system for medical deviceinventory management. The system is comprised of at least one scanner toscan medical device information associated with a medical device. The atleast one scanner is in operable communication with at least onecomputing device configured to receive the medical device informationfrom the scanner. A processor is in operable communication with thecomputing device, and an interpreter adapted to interpret the medicaldevice information and transpose the medical device information to agraphical user interface. An inventory module is in operablecommunication with the processor to inventory the medical deviceinformation including preparing a list of a plurality of medicaldevices. A document generator is in operable communication with thecomputing device to generate a document in a shareable format.

In one aspect, the medical device information is comprised of a uniquedevice identifier, a lot number, an expiration date, a model number, aserial number, date of manufacture, package type, package quantity, andrecall information, and/or a manufacturer description.

In one aspect, the medical device information is comprised of a staticpart and a dynamic part. The static part is pulled from an externaldatabase and may be stored on a local database. The external databasemay, in some aspects, be a Food and Drug Administration database.

In one aspect, the graphical user interface is comprised of a devicedetails interface wherein medical device information is manually input.

Some embodiments provide for a method for facilitating the management ofmedical device inventory. The method comprises the steps of scanning,via a scanner in communication with a computing device, a firstplurality of medical device information associated with a medicaldevice. The first plurality of medical device information may includebut is not limited to a unique device identifier (UDI), a lot number, anexpiration date, a serial number, and a manufacture date. A processormay then interpret the medical device information using an interpreter.A second plurality of medical device information is pulled from anexternal database stored locally. The second plurality of medical deviceinformation may include, but is not limited to, a model number, amanufacturer, a manufacturer description, package type, packagequantity, and/or FDA recall information. The first and secondpluralities of medical device information are then logged into adatabase and displayed on the computing device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A complete understanding of the present embodiments and the advantagesand features thereof will be more readily understood by reference to thefollowing detailed description when considered in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of the network infrastructure,according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the program logic and associatedmodules, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates a screenshot of the medical device inventoryinterface, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates a screenshot of the medical device input and exportinterface, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates a screenshot of the device details input interface,according to some embodiments; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method of utilizing the medicaldevice inventory management system, according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The specific details of the single embodiment or variety of embodimentsdescribed herein are to the described system and methods of use. Anyspecific details of the embodiments are used for demonstration purposesonly, and no unnecessary limitations or inferences are to be understoodtherefrom.

Before describing in detail exemplary embodiments, it is noted that theembodiments reside primarily in combinations of components andprocedures related to the system and method. Accordingly, the systemcomponents have been represented where appropriate by conventionalsymbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that arepertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure soas not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readilyapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of thedescription herein.

Some embodiments disclosed herein significantly improve the ability ofmedical device manufacturers, care providers, healthcare professionals,medical device suppliers, and medical device sales representatives tomanage inventory. Aspects of the embodiments provide an improved serviceoffering by providing functionalities either not present or in a moresimplified form than is disclosed in the current arts of the medicaldevice industry and similar product-based industries alike.

Some embodiments may provide an inventory management system configuredto be applied to the medical device industry, a user interface forengaging with inventory data and data present in one or more externaland/or local databases, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)databases, and electronic data capture hardware and software systems.

As used herein, the term “medical device information” is used todescribe any information provided on a medical device including, but notlimited to, a unique device identifier (UDI), lot number, expirationdate, serial number, date of manufacture, model number, catalog number,a manufacturer name, manufacturer description, package type, packagequantity, and recall information. In some examples, the medical deviceinformation may be divided into a first plurality of medical deviceinformation (a dynamic part) and a second plurality of medical deviceinformation (a static part). The first plurality of medical deviceinformation may be dynamic because it may change between individualdevices of the same model. For example, the first plurality ofinformation may include, but is not limited to a UDI, a lot number, anexpiration date, a serial number, and a manufacture date. The UDIincludes a unique numeric or alphanumeric code and/or a machine-readableform that uses automatic identification and data capture (AIDC)technology that identifies the labeler and the specific version or modelof a device. The UDI may further include the lot or batch number, serialnumber, expiration date, and date of manufacture. In some examples, thefirst plurality of medical device information may be the UDI. The secondplurality of data may be obtained from an external or local databasestoring information from the FDA UDI database using the UDI code thatwas interpreted from the first plurality of medical device information.The second plurality of medical device information may include, but isnot limited to, a model number, a manufacturer, a manufacturerdescription, package type, package quantity, and/or FDA recallinformation.

As used herein, the term “medical device” is used to describe anydevice, apparatus, material, or system used in the medical field, suchas in a hospital, clinic, or physician's office. The medical device maybe disposable with an expiration date or may be reusable without astandard expiration date. In some examples, the medical device may becapital equipment used over multiple years with multiple patients.

As used herein, “expiration date” is used to refer to the date ofexpiration as provided by the manufacturer. In some embodiments, whenthe medical device is capital equipment, the expiration date may be arecommended replacement date.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary architecture of the inventory managementsystem 100 implemented in the various embodiments disclosed herein. Thesystem 100 is comprised of at least one computing device 105 incommunication with a scanner 110. The scanner 110 may be integratedwithin the computing device 105 or provided as a separate hardwarecomponent as known in the arts. The scanner 110 reads a barcode 115provided on the medical device 120. In some aspects, the barcode is themachine-readable form of the UDI. The computing device 105, via thescanner 110 and interpreter, determines a first plurality of medicaldevice information, such as a UDI, a lot number, an expiration date, aserial number, and/or date of manufacture. The first plurality ofinformation may be used to determine a second plurality of medicaldevice information stored in one or more local databases. The secondplurality of medical device information may include, but is not limitedto, a model number, a manufacturer, a manufacturer description, packagetype, package quantity, and/or FDA recall information. A server 125 isoperable to transmit, via network 140, the medical device information tothe computing device 105, or to an external computing system tointerpret the medical device information and transpose the medicaldevice information into a shareable document 130 viewable on a printedmedium, or on the graphical user interface of the computing device 105.Database 150 is configured to store medical device information and dataassociated with the system 100. In some embodiments, one or moreexternal databases 160 may be utilized to aggregate and pull data. Theexternal database 160 may be comprised of the Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) database, in addition to various additionalexternal databases. In an embodiment, the FDA database is the FDA UDIdatabase. In some embodiments, the external database, such as the FDAUDI database or a recall database, is downloaded and stored in one ormore local databases.

The computing device 105 may include conventional components such as oneor more memory components and one or more processors. Examples ofcomputing devices include such known mobile devices as smartphones,tablets. etc., but it should be understood that the computing deviceneed not be a mobile device and the inventive concepts apply to othercomputing devices such as a desktop computer or stand-alonescanning/computing device.

In some embodiments, the scanner 110 is any electronic data capturesystem with image scanning and/or barcode scanning capabilities as knownin the arts. The scanner 110 may be specially adapted to scan and readbarcodes provided on a medical device. In other embodiments, the scanner110 may be part of the computing device 105. For example, the scanner110 may be the camera integrated in a mobile device. In additionalembodiments, the scanner 110 scans a barcode, QR code, UDI, and/or RFIDtag to determine the information of the medical device. Once the medicaldevice information has been determined, the system renders a visual ofthe medical device information on the graphical user interface (GUI) ofthe computing device 105.

The system 100 can include or be associated with a plurality ofdatabases that include information for the system 100, inventory lists,and medical device information lists, generated by the system, which canbe local, stored somewhere else and accessible using the network 140,generated as needed from various data sources, or some combination ofthese. For example, the system 100 may include a local database forstoring the FDA UDI database. The system 100 may pull the FDA UDIdatabase from the FDA at regular intervals to update the local database.In some embodiments, the local database storing the information from theFDA UDI database may be updated yearly, quarterly, monthly,semi-monthly, weekly, or daily. Having the external database storedlocally allows for the system 100 to access the information in thedatabase without requiring access to the internet. This may be usefulwhen the system is being used in basements or other areas of a hospitalwithout reliable access to the internet.

FIG. 2 illustrates a component level diagram of the computing device 105utilized to perform the various embodiments disclosed herein. Thecomputing device is comprised of at least one processor 210 connectedvia circuitry 220 to a memory 230 operable to perform program logic 240.The program logic 240 includes a plurality of code to perform variousfunctions of the embodiments including an interpreter 250, a documentgenerator 260, a scanning module 270, and an inventory module 280. Insome aspects of the embodiments, the interpreter 250 receives medicaldevice information from the scanning module 270 and interprets theinformation to create a list of medical devices using an inventorymodule 280. In an embodiment, the interpreter 250 receives the firstplurality of medical device information and interprets the informationsuch that one or more parts of the first plurality of medical deviceinformation may be used to pull the second plurality of medical deviceinformation. For example, the interpreter may receive the expirationdate, serial number, lot number, date of manufacture, and/or the UDInumber from the scanner. The first plurality of medical deviceinformation may then be logged in a system database and be used tocreate a list using the inventory module. In addition, the uniquenumeric or alphanumeric code of the UDI may be logged in the systemdatabase. The UDI may then be used to automatically look up the modelnumber, manufacturer description, package type, package quantity, and/orFDA recall information from the local database storing information fromthe FDA UDI database. The second plurality of medical device informationis logged in the system database with the first plurality of medicaldevice information for that device. The first plurality of medicaldevice information is aggregated with the second plurality of medicaldevice information to create a combined entry for each medical device.The scanning and aggregation of medical device information may be donefor a plurality of medical devices. The inventory module is in operablecommunication with the processor and is further operable to prepare alist of a plurality of medical devices, inventory the aggregated firstand second pluralities of medical device information from the pluralityof medical devices, and log the list of the plurality of medical devicesand the inventory in the system database.

The processor may further be operable to generate alerts based off themedical device information. In an embodiment, the processor may generatean alert to the user if a medical device in the system database isapproaching, at, or past its expiration date. For example, an alert maybe generated if a medical device in the system database is within 90days, 60 days, 30 days, 1 week, 6 days, 5 days, 4 days, 3 days, 2 days,or 1 day of expiring, or if it is currently expired. In someembodiments, the method may include generating an alert if the medicaldevice currently being scanned is already expired or it is within 90days, 60 days, 30 days, 1 week, 6 days, 5 days, 4 days, 3 days, 2 days,or 1 day of expiring. If the device is within 90 days, 60 days, 30 days,1 week, 6 days, 5 days, 4 days, 3 days, 2 days, or 1 day of expiring, orexpired, the processor generates a notice asking the user if the deviceshould continue to be scanned. The alert may be a visual indicatordisplayed on the interface and/or may be an audible indicator.

In another embodiment, the processor may further be operable to generatean alert to the user that a medical device in the system database has anFDA recall. In another embodiment, the processor may further be operableto generate an alert to the user that a medical device currently beingscanned has an FDA recall. The alert may include recall information froma local database, such as an FDA database stored locally. The alert maybe a visual indicator displayed on the interface and/or may be anaudible indicator.

A document generator 260 operates to transpose the medical deviceinformation listed in the inventory module 280 to a shareable documentformat. For example, a document generator 260 is in operablecommunication with the computing device 105 to transpose the inventoriedaggregated first and second pluralities of medical device informationfrom the system database to generate a document in a shareable format.The document may be viewable on the graphical user interface and/orexported to an external user.

FIG. 3 illustrates a medical device inventory interface 310 displayed onthe computing device 105. An export button 320 permits the medicaldevice information displayed on the interface 310 to be transposed intoa shareable document format, or exported to an external user via emailor similar communications interface known in the arts. In someembodiments, all or part of the system database may be displayed on theinterface 310. The interface 310 may be interactive such that a user mayselect a medical device listed in the system database to view moredetails about the particular medical device, such as the aggregatedfirst and second pluralities of medical device information for theparticular medical device.

FIG. 4 illustrates a medical device information export interface 400which provides input buttons including an Add Device” input 410, “ExportDevice” input 420, and a “Delete All Devices” input 430. Selecting the“Add Device” input 410 transmits the user to the device input interfaceillustrated in FIG. 5 wherein the user is provided with a plurality ofinput fields. The plurality of input fields may be automaticallypopulated with the first and/or second plurality of medical deviceinformation. The user may edit a field that was automatically populatedor may fill in a blank field. For example, the user inputs medicaldevice information including, but not limited to, a UDI input 510, anexpiration date input 520, a lot number input 530, a model number input540, a catalog number input 550, a device description input 560, serialnumber input, manufacture date input, UDI input, and quantity input.Each input, such as those provided in FIG. 5, may be automaticallyentered using the scanner in communication with the interpreter asdescribed hereinabove.

In some embodiments the medical device information export interface 400may include input buttons such as, but not limited to, the manufacturername, packaging type, quantity, price, and the ability for the input ofa comment or other form of information or description of the medicaldevice.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method of using the system to managemedical device inventory. In step 610 the user accesses the system viathe computing device and in step 620, scans the barcode on the medicaldevice using the scanner. In step 630, the interpreter interprets thescanned barcode to identify the second plurality of medical deviceinformation (static part) and the first plurality of medical deviceinformation (dynamic part) of the barcode as shown in step 640. In step650, the first plurality of medical device information (dynamic part) isinterpreted via the interpreter, and in step 660, the second pluralityof medical device information (static part) is pulled from an externaldatabase (such as the FDA database) or a local database containing datafrom the external database. In step 670, the first and secondpluralities of medical device information are logged into the systemdatabase using the inventory module. Optionally, in step 680, the usermay export the medical device information into a shareable documentformat. A plurality of medical devices may be scanned, such that thesystem database includes an inventory of the medical device informationfor the plurality of medical devices. All or part of the system databasemay be displayed on the interface.

In an embodiment, the method may further include generating an alert tothe user if a medical device in the system database is approaching, at,or past its expiration date. For example, the method may includegenerating an alert if the medical device in the system database iswithin 90 days, 60 days, 30 days, 1 week, 6 days, 5 days, 4 days, 3days, 2 days, or 1 day of expiring, or if it is currently expired. Insome embodiments, the method may include generating an alert if themedical device being scanned is already expired or it is within 90 days,60 days, 30 days, 1 week, 6 days, 5 days, 4 days, 3 days, 2 days, or 1day of expiring. If the device is within 90 days, 60 days, 30 days, 1week, 6 days, 5 days, 4 days, 3 days, 2 days, or 1 day of expiring, orexpired, the method may further include generating a notice asking theuser if the device should continue to be scanned. The alert may be avisual indicator displayed on the interface and/or may be an audibleindicator.

In another embodiment, the method may further include generating analert to the user that a medical device in the system database has anFDA recall. In another embodiment, the method may include generating analert to the user that a medical device currently being scanned has anFDA recall. The alert may include recall information from a localdatabase, such as an FDA database stored locally. The alert may be avisual indicator displayed on the interface and/or may be an audibleindicator.

The steps and/or actions of a system described in connection with theembodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in asoftware module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two.A software module may reside in RAM, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROMmemory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Anexemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor such that theprocessor can read information from, and write information to, thestorage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integratedinto the processor. Further, in some embodiments, the processor and thestorage medium may reside in an Application Specific Integrated Circuit(ASIC). In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium mayreside as discrete components in a computing device. Additionally, insome embodiments, the events and/or actions of a method or algorithm mayreside as one or any combination or set of codes and/or instructions ona machine-readable medium and/or computer-readable medium, which may beincorporated into a computer program product.

Also, any connection may be associated with a computer-readable medium.For example, if the software is transmitted from a web site, server, orother remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twistedpair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such asinfrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber opticcable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared,radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. “Disk”and “disc,” as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc,optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray discwhere disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs usuallyreproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above shouldalso be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

In some embodiments, the system is world-wide-web (www) based, and thenetwork server is a web server delivering HTML, XML, etc., web pages tothe computing devices. In other embodiments, a client-serverarchitecture may be implemented, in which a network server executesenterprise and custom software, exchanging data with custom clientapplications running on the computing device.

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include bothgeneral and special purpose microprocessors and any one or moreprocessors of any digital computing device. The processor will receiveinstructions and data from a read-only memory or a random-access memoryor both. The essential elements of a computing device are a processorfor performing actions in accordance with instructions and one or morememory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computingdevice will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data fromor transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices forstoring data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks;however, a computing device need not have such devices. Moreover, acomputing device can be embedded in another device, e.g., a mobiletelephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio or videoplayer, a game console, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, or aportable storage device (e.g., a universal serial bus (USB) flashdrive).

Many different embodiments have been disclosed herein, in connectionwith the above description and the drawings. It will be understood thatit would be unduly repetitious and obfuscating to literally describe andillustrate every combination and subcombination of these embodiments.Accordingly, all embodiments can be combined in any way and/orcombination, and the present specification, including the drawings,shall be construed to constitute a complete written description of allcombinations and subcombinations of the embodiments described herein,and of the manner and process of making and using them, and shallsupport claims to any such combination or subcombination.

An equivalent substitution of two or more elements can be made for anyone of the elements in the claims below or that a single element can besubstituted for two or more elements in a claim. Although elements canbe described above as acting in certain combinations and even initiallyclaimed as such, it is to be expressly understood that one or moreelements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised fromthe combination and that the claimed combination can be directed to asubcombination or variation of a subcombination.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the presentembodiment is not limited to what has been particularly shown anddescribed hereinabove. A variety of modifications and variations arepossible in light of the above teachings without departing from thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented system for medical deviceinventory management, the system comprising: at least one scannerconfigured to scan a barcode provided on a medical device for a firstplurality of medical device information associated with the medicaldevice, the at least one scanner integrated within a computing deviceconfigured to receive the first plurality of medical device informationfrom the scanner, wherein the first plurality of medical deviceinformation comprises at least a unique device identifier (UDI) for themedical device; a processor in operable communication with the computingdevice, the processor adapted to: interpret the first plurality ofmedical device information, via an interpreter; automatically pull froma local database a second plurality of medical device informationassociated with the medical device based on the interpreted firstplurality of medical device information, wherein the second plurality ofmedical device information is stored on the local database comprisinginformation from a Food and Drug Administration UDI database; aggregatethe first and second pluralities of medical device information, log theaggregated first and second pluralities of medical device information toa system database; and display a visual rendering of the aggregatedfirst and second pluralities of medical device information that isviewable on a graphical user interface; and an inventory module inoperable communication with the processor, the inventory module operableto: prepare a list of a plurality of medical devices; and log the listof the plurality of medical devices in the system database.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of medical deviceinformation further comprises an expiration date, lot number, serialnumber, and date of manufacture.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein theprocessor is further adapted to generate an alert to the user if themedical device being scanned is within 90 days of the expiration date orpast the expiration date.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the alert isa visual indicator displayed on the interface.
 5. The system of claim 1,wherein the second plurality of medical device information comprises amodel number, manufacturer, a manufacturer description, packagequantity, package type, and/or recall information.
 6. The system ofclaim 5, wherein the processor is further adapted to generate an alertto the user if the medical device being scanned has an FDA recall. 7.The system of claim 6, wherein the alert is a visual indicator displayedon the interface.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the inventory moduleis further operable to inventory the aggregated first and secondpluralities of medical device information from the plurality of medicaldevices.
 9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a documentgenerator in operable communication with the computing device totranspose the aggregated first and second pluralities of medical deviceinformation for the plurality of medical devices from the systemdatabase to generate a document in a shareable format operable to beviewable on the graphical user interface and exported to an externaluser.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interfacecomprises a device details interface configured to receive manuallyinputted medical device information.
 11. A method for facilitating themanagement of medical device inventory, the method comprising the stepsof: scanning, via a scanner integrated within a computing device, abarcode provided on a medical device for a first plurality of medicaldevice information associated with the medical device, the firstplurality of medical device information comprising at least a uniquedevice identifier (UDI); interpreting, via a processor in communicationwith an interpreter, the first plurality of medical device information;automatically pulling from a local database, via the processor, a secondplurality of medical device information based on the interpreted firstplurality of medical device information, wherein the second plurality ofmedical device information is stored on the local database comprisinginformation from a Food and Drug Administration UDI database;aggregating the first and second pluralities of medical deviceinformation; logging the aggregated first and second pluralities ofmedical device information into a system database; preparing, via aninventory module in operable communication with the processor, a list ofa plurality of medical devices; and logging the list of the plurality ofmedical devices and the inventory in the system database.
 12. The methodof claim 11, further comprising taking inventory of the aggregated firstand second pluralities of medical device information from the pluralityof medical devices.
 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:displaying the aggregated first and second pluralities of medical deviceinformation via a graphical user interface on the computing device; andtransposing, via a document generator, the aggregated first and secondpluralities of medical device information from the system database intoa document in a shareable format viewable on the graphical userinterface.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising exporting thedocument to an external user.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein theinventory module is operable to sort the aggregated medical deviceinformation and present the medical devices in an order.
 16. The methodof claim 11, further comprising the step of deleting all aggregatedmedical device information stored in the system database.
 17. The methodof claim 11, wherein the first plurality of medical device informationfurther comprises an expiration date, lot number, serial number, anddate of manufacture.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the processoris further adapted to generate an alert to the user if the medicaldevice being scanned is within 90 days of the expiration date or pastthe expiration date.
 19. The method of claim 11, wherein the secondplurality of medical device information comprises a model number,manufacturer, a manufacturer description, package quantity, packagetype, and/or recall information.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein theprocessor is further adapted to generate an alert to the user if themedical device being scanned has an FDA recall.